Municipal News & Jobs

A proposed data center in Pottawatomie County drew a large crowd of residents during an open house hosted by Georgia-based Beltline Energy in Wamego on Wednesday, May 6. The company is exploring plans for a data center project in the county, an idea that has surfaced in multiple Pottawatomie County Planning Commission meetings in recent months. During the open house, representatives from Beltline Energy outlined potential economic benefits of the proposal, including increased tax revenue and high-paying construction and operations jobs. However, many residents attending the meeting voiced strong opposition to the project, citing concerns about water use, environmental impacts, noise and light pollution.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

The Hutchinson City Council approved temporary test amendments for data center and battery energy storage system (BESS) zoning. Additionally, they would begin the process of introducing permanent text amendments for data centers and BESS. The vote was unanimous. Under these rules, large-scale data centers and BESS would not be permitted in any residential areas. These amendments will be taken before the planning commission, and a public hearing will be held before they are brought back before the council for approval.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

The Haven City Council voted four to one in favor of holding a sales tax election on Aug. 4. Council Member Nicole Sander was the only dissenting vote. The ballot measure would be a 1% sales tax, without a sundown date. The council heard a presentation on the topic from financial advisor Joey McLiney. The city is hoping that a sales tax might help pay for electric infrastructure improvements.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

The Big Kansas Road Trip brought hundreds of curious visitors to Humboldt this weekend. Organized by the Kansas Sampler Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to educating Kansans about Kansas, the trip to Humboldt seemed to check all the boxes. “It was a wonderful day,” said Monica Frye, Explore Kansas Program Manager. “So many people found great things to explore in Humboldt. They realized it was a unique, bright and welcoming community.”
Read more: The Iola Register

Douglas County commissioners on Wednesday faced public calls for a moratorium or ban on battery energy storage systems and data centers, following a work session where they heard research on fire risks and rural water limits. No local projects have been proposed, but county commissioners in July 2024 asked staff members to look into how those land uses should be addressed in county codes.  Planner Karl Bauer presented research Wednesday showing these uses are undefined in the county’s code outside of solar accessory rules, meaning that battery energy storage systems, or BESS, would already be allowed in the county alongside a solar farm to store extra energy harvested during the day to output during peak usage. The county’s current zoning restrictions would subject BESS to restrictions to avoid fires and noise disturbances.
Read more: The Lawrence Times

The Phillipsburg Fire Department has been honored with the Gold Helmet Department distinction by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), marking a significant milestone in the department’s commitment to personnel safety and long-term health. The prestigious recognition is reserved for fire departments that enroll at least 50% of their active personnel in the National Firefighter Registry (NFR) for Cancer.
Read more: The Sunflower State Radio Network

Taxes for those visiting Topeka is about to get higher. On May 5, The Topeka City Council voted to increase the transient guest tax percentage that was going to decrease in the next couple years. Mayor Spencer Duncan said those on the Transient Guest Tax Committee have had some talks about raising the percentage to stay current. “This is an effort to just simply get in line with what the rest of the cities in our area and our size throughout Kansas are already doing,” Duncan said. “It’s an effort to stop the decrease of this, which is the current move of we don’t make any changes. It really is that simple.” The new 8.5% tax will be implemented in 2027.
Read more: Topeka Capital-Journal

Topeka settled two lawsuits for $1.025 million. On May 1, the city announced two settlement deals: one with Topeka police administrators Jana Kizzar and Colleen Stuart and the other with Capt. Jennifer Cross. “The settlement agreement and related payment is not an admission of liability or wrongdoing by the City,” a city press release stated. “The City is committed to treating all employees fairly and respectfully in accordance with its Personnel Manual and applicable laws.” The money used for these settlements will come from the special liability fund, which is separate from the city’s general fund.
Read more: Topeka Capital-Journal

The Hutchinson Board of Education again decided to put off a resolution for another school bond at its meeting on Wednesday. Members started discussions after reviewing community survey results and looking at what an updated school bond could look like. Based on the 1,200 survey responses, the community thought the former $110 million school bond was too expensive and had too many projects. Others were in favor of a different approach that would focus on updating and maintaining existing schools.
Read more: KSN-TV

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

Cawker City is one of four places nationwide featuring balls of twine that residents say hold size records. When farmer Frank Stoeber began making a ball out of the twine that littered the floor of his barn on Dec. 24, 1953, he had no idea that ball would one day grow into a popular tourist attraction.
Read more: CJonline

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

Newton High School seniors Toby Spreier and Izabella Hinojos know what it’s like to be tased. It’s not because they’re on the wrong side of the law; it’s because they’re in training for employment on the right side of the law. One of the highlights of his internship was taking part in a ride-along with an officer who got a call to do a vehicle check in Sedgwick. It turned out to be a hit-and-run DUI suspect, he said. Both have internships at the Harvey County Sheriff’s Office, with Hinojos doing it for a year and Spreier for a semester.
Read more: Harvey County Now

The results are in, and the Harvey County Planning and Zoning Commission decided not to move forward with nuisance regulations at this time. That was Karen Rothe’s message to commissioners on Tuesday morning. Rothe, the county’s planning, zoning and environmental director, said the survey conducted earlier this year showed that an overwhelming number of people didn’t want to see any changes. The results show that 470 people responded to the survey, the most responses the P&Z received on a survey in over 10 years.
Read more: Harvey County Now

Wichita may have another sales tax initiative on the horizon after Justice Together, a grassroots interfaith coalition, prompted elected officials to verbalize their commitment to put one on the ballot to support affordable housing and homelessness.  All three council members in attendance Monday, Joseph Shepard, Dalton Glasscock and J.V. Johnston, said they would give Wichitans a chance to vote on the initiative if it had sufficient public backing to justify an election. 
Read more: KLC Journal

Federal Reserve officials who voted this week against the post-meeting statement said they didn’t think it was appropriate to signal that the next interest rate move would be lower. Regional presidents Neel Kashkari of Minneapolis and Beth Hammack of Cleveland released statements explaining their votes, offering similar rationale regarding the verbiage in the statement — but not over the decision to keep a hold on rates form their current position.
Read more: CNBC

The Riley County Commission on Thursday adopted a policy for handling complaints related to a recent state law prohibiting transgender Kansans from using facilities associated with their gender identity. “It’s relatively straightforward,” county counselor Jacob Hansen told commissioners. “The purpose, of course, is that individuals who want to make a complaint pursuant to that law are able to do so.” Senate Bill 244, which has been in effect since Feb. 26, established that it’s unlawful for people to enter a multiple-occupancy private space — such as bathrooms and locker rooms — in a government-owned building that is “designated for use only by individuals of the opposite sex.”
Read more: News Radio KMAN

A man who was electrocuted while working on a City of Winfield-owned substation in 2020 has sued the city and other defendants, alleging that a city employee failed to ensure the equipment was de-energized and safe to work on prior to the incident.
Read more: www.ctnewsonline.com

Stafford County Economic Development is beginning a planning effort to revitalize and define the future of downtown Stafford and St. John by developing two unique Downtown Master Plans. This process will bring together the public and stakeholders to guide decision-making and help identify priorities for future opportunities in each downtown.
Read more: Great Bend Tribune

Hundreds of people lined Mission Road on Saturday morning to enjoy a glimpse of Prairie Village down through the years. The city hosted a parade marking its 75th anniversary, with the theme of “Prairie Village Through the Decades.” It was one of the largest activities the city has planned this year to mark the milestone. More than 50 participants created floats representing different decades, with everything from a 1960s “peace and love” theme by advocacy group People for PV to a 1950s diner scene from the Claridge Court retirement community.
Read more: Johnson County Post

A Johnson County developer has sued both Olathe Public Schools and the city of Olathe, accusing them of abusing eminent domain powers to help the school district sell land to another preferred private developer. In a suit filed last month in Johnson County District Court, developer Cherry Park Properties alleges that the district, through the city, used eminent domain to acquire easements on its property for a sewer line to help the district sell nearby land to developer CB Holdings, which is owned by Clay Blair, a prominent civic leader and donor to area causes, including Olathe schools. In court documents, Cherry Park argues that the acquisition of its land serves a private buyer and not the public, which it says is an illegal use of the eminent domain power.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Spring Hill saw a lot of changes in the last year; from a new city council, public safety updates, budget updates to preparing for a comprehensive plan. Spring Hill Mayor Chad Young spoke about the changes and looked toward the future during his State of the City address April 15 at the Spring Hill Civic Center, hosted by the Spring Hill Chamber of Commerce. About 100 community and business leaders attended the event.
Read more: Johnson County Post

A little more than a month after rural Johnson County residents celebrated a win with the withdrawal of a massive data center proposal, another one popped up just 5 miles down the road. San Francisco-based data center developer Beale Infrastructure recently submitted a proposal to Gardner to build a 16-building campus on 300 acres near the northeast corner of 191st Street and South Clare Road. It’s still unclear who would use the center or how much it would cost to build.
Read more: Kansas City Star

Olathe Public Schools is considering whether to end its Voluntary Early Retirement Plan (VERP) and Health Reimbursement Agreements (HRAs) as part of cost-saving efforts due to budget shortfalls, according to a teacher’s union and a district spokesperson. The early retirement plan has been part of ongoing bargaining agreements ahead of next school year between the district and Olathe NEA, the labor union that represents public school teachers and staff.
Read more: Kansas City Star

A new lawsuit claims Olathe Schools and the city is misusing eminent domain to aid the sale of district-owned property.
Read more: Kansas City Star

“Let’s fire up your Thunderbird, put in $2 worth of gas, and drive over to the drive-in and see a movie.” If that sounds like I’m in a time warp or having flashbacks to the 1950s, hold on. Other than buying cheap gas, it is still possible to enjoy the experience of going to a drive-in movie, right here in rural Kansas.  Jessica Eagle Moyer and Tyson Moyer are the owners of the Kanopolis Drive-In in Kanopolis, Kansas. Jessica grew up in Leavenworth County. Tyson grew up near Ellsworth and attended the University of Kansas and the Kansas City Art Institute.  He was working on marketing materials for the Kansas City Chiefs and Monarchs when he and Jessica met and were married. In the summers, they traveled back to Ellsworth County to see his family. A local attraction was an old drive-in movie site, one of the few still operating. In October 2024, they had the opportunity to purchase it. They moved back to Ellsworth where Tyson works remotely. Jessica is board-certified in health and wellness and operates her own wellness business in addition to the drive-in.
Read more: KCLY Radio

Residents of Gardner, Kansas, are confronting a new data center proposal from Beale Infrastructure just weeks after a similar proposal was withdrawn. Members of the community are concerned about the impact on their environment, utilities, and noise levels.
Read more: KCUR

The battle over the R9 Ranch water rights is a complex saga involving decades of legal maneuvering, legislative shifts and environmental concerns. 
Read more: KLC Journal

Fights over water in the West tend to follow a particular contour: Scarcity develops. A supply is located. Competition ensues. Government agencies become involved. Judges tend to get the last word. The squabbles are all the same and every one is different. Both the residents of parched Hays and Russell in northwest Kansas and those of thirsty Edwards County, some 60 miles south, covet the water beneath the sprawling R9 Ranch south of Kinsley, seeing it as a matter of survival in a coming era when the precious resource becomes even more scarce. Now, three decades later, the $140-million-dollar project remains on hold, delayed by years of legal challenges. Over the past 11 years, Hays has spent $11 million in its battle, $8 million of that in legal fees. 
Read more: KLC Journal

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced Thursday that over $80 million is available to support stormwater and sewer infrastructure needs across the country. The funding comes from the EPA’s Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grant program. It allows communities to pay for improvements to safely capture and manage stormwater and keep pollutants, including untreated stormwater, from reaching nearby waterways. Kansas is receiving a total of $467,000 that will be divided among the communities that apply through the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grant program.
Read more: KSN-TV

The discussion about a solar farm and battery energy storage system in Sedgwick County is on hold. The Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Commission was set to vote on the Galena Solar Project proposal on Wednesday, but decided to defer it and gather more information. The commission will pick up the discussion again on June 11. People for and against the project agree that the deferral was a good move.
Read more: KSN-TV

The Andover City Council unanimously approved a policy to enforce a new state law requiring people to only use multiple‑occupancy spaces that align with their sex assigned at birth while in government buildings. In February, the Kansas Legislature passed House Substitute for SB 244, directing all cities to comply with this new law and pass a policy on the topic.
Read more: KSN-TV

Sedgwick County Fire District 1 announced Tuesday that its first K9 has retired. Benny, born in 2017, began his service as an Accelerant Detection Canine through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in 2018. He was partnered with Investigator Rusty Vollintine and the Topeka Fire Department until Vollintine retired in 2023. The pair later joined SCFD1 as part‑time investigators in 2024. Since joining the district, Benny has responded to 30 structure fires across the region — 13 of them fatal — and his work has contributed to six felony arrests.
Read more: KSN-TV

The district has selected Cody Rierson, one of three candidates considered for the role. Rierson currently serves as superintendent of Moundridge USD 423 and previously worked as principal at Lincoln Elementary School in McPherson. The district said he is known for building a positive, collaborative environment while keeping students at the center of every decision.
Read more: KSN-TV

Hutchinson USD 308 board members learned why voters turned down the district’s $110 million bond last year at a meeting Monday. Discovery Works Collaborative shared results of a survey that showed 63% of people said the price tag was too high. Another 55% said it was because of the proposed location of the middle school. The same amount said they do not need to build when enrollment is going down.
Read more: KSN-TV

Cowtown Days is a two-day event in Baxter Springs, Kansas that celebrates the city’s cultural heritage as the “First Cowtown in Kansas” with a car show, bouncy castles, live music, and other activities.
Read more: KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com

City leaders approved a settlement of just over $1 million tied to two sex discrimination cases involving the Topeka Police Department on Friday. City of Topeka councilmembers, City Manager Robert Perez and others gathered for a special meeting at 11 a.m. on May 1. Perez called for the special meeting to convene to discuss the settlement of one or more lawsuits.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

Overland Park, Kansas, wants to streamline and regulate its zoning code to improve housing availability and offer a variety of housing within city limits. There’s been a lot of change in Overland Park since the city updated its zoning code more than 30 years ago. “Apartment complex, apartment complex, apartment complex,” Jeffrey Strom, Overland Park resident, said. “It’s cool, but I’m never going to be able to afford [those].” The current housing development process is complex. Overland Park’s director of planning and development services explained it could be why there’s not as many housing options.
Read more: KSHB News

“This is the room of dreams,” said Jerry Daniels at Tuesday night’s Community Conversation. And complaints, hopes, and fears. Thrive Allen County hosted the annual event where Thrive staff members help citizens arrive at a consensus on a handful of “must-do” issues. Tuesday’s group of about 20 settled on the need to beef up the town’s communication avenues, foster community-wide pride and generate more involvement in civic affairs. 
Read more: The Iola Register

The City of Lawrence’s annual budget doubled from $261 million in 2020 to $520 million in 2025.  In the six years between 2020 and 2026, the city’s revenue will have increased 52% because of increases in utility fees and property tax valuations. In spite of this increase, the city has faced recurring budget deficits, and the city is now trying to identify $4.5 million in savings for its 2027 budget so it can operate a new fire station in northwest Lawrence. 
Read more: The Lawrence Times

The list of Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS) ‘millionaires’ — those who will accrue $1,000,000 in benefits in the first 20 years of retirement — soared to 5,170 last year. That’s an increase of 412 over last year. Eight of the top 25, nearly a third, come from K-12 school districts. The entire list is available at kansasopengov.org.
Read more: The Sentinel

Three Topeka City Council members say they are committed in trying to put a sales tax initiative on the Aug. 4 ballot. During the annual Nehemiah Action Assembly on April 30, council members Michelle Bradberry and David Banks stated their support for a sales tax initiative for affordable housing. Marcus Miller sent his support via a statement. To bring in continuous funding for the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund, its oversight committee suggested a 0.1-cent sales tax. They also suggested 50% of the collected taxes go to at least one of the four homeless solutions identified in the study from 2024, which include the following: Safe-rest shelter. One-stop resource center. Permanent tiny home village. Second chance housing and employment programs.
Read more: Topeka Capital-Journal

Mission Clean Energy’s $600 million solar and battery storage facility near Wichita will support regional grid growth and generate $2.35 million in annual tax revenue, according to the company’s estimates.
Read more: Wichita Business Journal – Local Wichita News